


Continue

by Outskirts_Of_Nowhere



Series: Reset [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Character Development, Gen, Narrator Chara, Post Ending, Slice of Life, a character study through reactions to other characters' daily lives, a sort of sequel, chara as narator, they pronouns for chara, they pronouns for frisk
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-15 05:04:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5772328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Outskirts_Of_Nowhere/pseuds/Outskirts_Of_Nowhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the monsters reach the surface, life moves on for everyone aside from Chara. Without the ability to reset, they watch the day to day lives of the others.<br/>(A mostly one-shot-collection-esque companion story to "A Not-So-Fresh Start.")</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Can We Talk About Chara?

I wish I could move on.

I wish I could still play with them all the way Frisk does. There’s something incredibly painful about watching people who once loved you more than anything be happy without you. I guess having a replacement human makes it easy. But it’s obvious from the way they look at Frisk… they’re seeing everything I could’ve been. That isn’t something I want to live with. And it needs to be fixed. Soon.

Yes, I know what you think of me. I know what they think too. I don’t care.

So I messed up a little in some past timelines? Doesn’t everyone? Everyone seems okay with giving Asriel a second chance.

Asriel…

He’s here now, happy as could be. He’s grown up a little since he exited the underground for the second time in his existence. Very, very small horns adorn his head now, and he seems just a little taller when he stands next to Frisk. Maybe it’s a sign of him moving past the age he’s probably felt he’s been stuck in since his death, maybe he just likes to seem a little more mature now. He calls Frisk his best friend. Before, when he said that, he’d really been talking to me. I know that. Maybe he still means that now? As though he’s using Frisk as an avatar to me too?

But I know that isn’t true. It wasn’t true from the moment that I reset the world. He hadn’t played along for a single moment, naming Frisk the second he’d seen them.

But I still look over them both sometimes, hoping he’ll sense I’m there, hoping that he’ll show how much he can’t move on. But hopes and dreams don’t seem to do me as much good as they do anyone else.

Still, there are small moments that keep hope alive. A slip of the tongue, and he or one of his parents will start to call Frisk by my name. A moment of recognition, when Frisk does something he’s sure that I would have done. Just the fact that Frisk isn’t allowed to wear green… it all feels like it fills me with the determination I know I lack now.

Sometimes I follow Asriel to school, unseen, unheard. I used to hate school, and when I told him about the human schools, he said he would hate them too. I guess, to be fair, not many humans went to the school at all. Toriel ran it, though she would combine the duties of being teacher and principal. The students were mostly monsters – a few bunny kids from Snowdin, Frisk’s armless friend, two slime-blobs, a few amphibious monsters originally from Waterfall, and a few others. But there were a few humans as well. The quality of the education Toriel offered apparently outweighed any worries that their parents must have had about their kids going to school with monsters.

Monsters were weak compared to humans anyway, they had nothing to worry about.

On this day, as I follow Asriel around, I notice it’s some sort of “Meet the Teachers” day for parents. I always wondered what that was like… to have parents care about what you’re doing in school. Asriel stayed after school to help parents find their way around the building. Frisk stayed to “help” Asriel, though mostly they stood around with their hands in their pockets. Frisk doesn’t talk to human adults. Asriel, though, was probably a good choice to show parents around. Ironically, he doesn’t look at all threatening. Behind the fluffy exterior, no one knows he’s essentially a supernova of magic from the core.

“He’s quite helpful,” remarks a mother to Toriel. “And so polite.” I laugh, thinking about how they’d react if they’d seen him back underground as Flowey. “Is he your only child?”

“Oh no,” Toriel says. I look up a little towards her.

“Oh well, is he the oldest?”

“Yes, our only child until Frisk came along,” Toriel replies. Frisk glances over when their name is mentioned, but they quickly preoccupy themselves, assessing artwork hung up in the hallway.

“Uh… Hey mom, you forgetting something?” Asriel asks.

“Hm?” Toriel replies, before she turns back to the mother. “Oh yes, you should see the artwork the children did.”

Asriel looks disheartened. “That’s not what I… never mind.”

* * *

He’s quiet the next day.

He goes around the house, looking morose. It’s a Saturday, but he doesn’t even seem happy about it. Frisk isn’t even able to cheer him up, and not for lack of trying. Toriel takes notice in the morning, but doesn’t act until sometime in the afternoon.

“Frisk, dear, Undyne will be stopping by soon, why don’t you wait for her in the living room,” Toriel asks, obviously trying to get them to exit and talk to Asriel alone.

“I’m surprised you even remember who Undyne is, we haven’t seen her in a few days,” Asriel remarks grumpily.

Toriel tilts her head a little, then looks to Frisk. They get the message, going off to the front of the house to find Undyne.

“Asriel,” Toriel says once Frisk is gone.  He looks up, not answering her. “Asriel,” she says again, louder.

“What?” He looks to her, mood obviously not improved.

“What’s troubling you?” Toriel asks. “You seem so sad today.”

Asriel just crosses his arms. “Yeah, so?”

“So, it has me worried,” Toriel says.

“You say that,” Asriel says. “But do you mean it?”

“You can talk to me,” Toriel says. “Getting things off your chest can’t hurt.”

Asriel is hesitant, but he doesn’t seem to be able to muster up his original attitude in the face of her kindness. “Mom… it’s just that…” he trails off uncertainly before taking a deep breath and looking her in the eye. “Can we talk about Chara?” he asks suddenly.

Toriel seems to stiffen a little, just as surprised as I am, before she says, in that maddeningly kindly voice, “What about them, dear?”

“Don’t you miss them? Ever?” Asriel asks.

Toriel seems a little worried and confused. “Of course, but why are you asking?”

Asriel frowns. “Yesterday you… you said I was your only child before Frisk. What about Chara, don’t they count to you? How could you have forgotten them?” I’m surprised when he starts to raise his voice. It isn’t something he’s done often since he stopped being Flowey.

Toriel doesn’t look angry though, instead sighs sadly. “Chara isn’t the only one I didn’t mention. All the humans that fell into the underworld… I wanted dearly for them to stay with me so that they could be safe, so that I could have a family again. I am happy that I’ve gotten another chance with you and Frisk, but to think about where I’ve failed… it is not easy.”

“Oh…” Asriel looks thoughtful. “So… you didn’t forget them?”

“Of course not,” Toriel says.

“Oh…” Asriel says again.

“Oh Asriel,” she says, going to him. “If you wanted to talk, you shouldn’t have been afraid to…”

“I know,” Asriel says. “It’s just… you know.”

“Hm…?”

“I miss them so much…” He says. That’s when it hits me hardest… I’m…

I’m so alone…

Toriel looks at her son. “I know… but they’re in a better place now, Asriel.”

“You think so, Mom?” he asks, and Toriel nods, hugging him tight. “Okay… Then… I should try not to be such a crybaby… huh?”

I’m so _afraid_ …

“Well I wouldn’t say that, my child… but I’m sure they wouldn’t like you being so upset.” She pats his head with all the love and gentleness that I’m sure we’d have both missed terribly if we had been capable after death. “Now, let’s get you some tea, I’m sure that’ll help.” He nods and she takes his hand, leading him away to the kitchen, and leaving me alone once again with nothing left to accompany me but my thoughts. And I can’t help but wonder…

Asriel… Why couldn’t you just let me win?


	2. Playing It By Ear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne rediscovers an old pastime.

I collect myself and go to the living room, looking at Frisk quietly. Why do they get this spot in the world that should be mine anyway? They’re my avatar. That’s all they should be…

There’s a knock at the door and Frisk jumps up to open it. I follow, though not at all because I’m interested. I guess I’m used to being stuck with Frisk… I’m not sure if I am anymore though.

As soon as Frisk turns the doorknob, Undyne pushes it open. I never much liked Undyne. She’s too much bluster, and way too loud. “Hey dork,” she greets Frisk with a wide grin. Frisk responds in kind with a smile and thumbs up. “Hey Tori, I’m here!” she calls into the kitchen.

“I will be there in just a second!” Toriel calls back.

“Kay!” Undyne says. She looks at Frisk again. “So, how you doing? Getting on daisy’s nerves any?” Frisk shakes their head. “Aw man, too bad.” She sits on the sofa and throws her arms over the back of it. Toriel comes into the living room after a moment, though I notice that Asriel doesn’t immediately follow. “So, you wanted to talk to me?” Undyne asks.

“Ah yes, thank you for coming over. I actually had a little favor I wanted to ask of you,” Toriel says.

“Yeah?” Undyne asks. “Well I’m sure it’s nothing I can’t handle, go ahead.”

Toriel smiles. “Well, I admire your confidence! It’s actually well within your abilities, yes. I just wanted to ask if you could fill in for one of the teachers at the school. She’s feeling a bit under the weather.”

Undyne looks confused. “Uh… a teacher? I’m not much of a nerd, Tori. Maybe Alphys can help?”

“No no no,” Toriel says. “It isn’t one of the main academic classes, don’t worry.”

“Oh, gotcha,” Undyne says. “Well sure then, no problem.”

“Really? Thank you so much Undyne,” Toriel says appreciatively.

“Yeah,” Undyne says, checking her phone. “Oh crap, I forgot Papyrus wanted help with something. I’ll have to talk later,” she says, getting up.

Toriel blinks. “Oh, well… maybe we can talk tomorrow and discuss potential lesson plans.”

“Yeah, uh… maybe. Later.” She walks towards the door. I look from the family to Undyne, and I decide to try something new. I follow her.

Undyne walks long strides, a purposeful gait, with her head held high. It’s so different from the way Frisk walks around. Frisk gets distracted and they hesitate sometimes. They can only take small steps on their short legs.

It’s a while before we get anywhere. Papyrus and Sans don’t exactly live nearby. When we finally do arrive, she climbs a few flights of stairs to their apartment and knocks on the door. She taps her feet impatiently as she waits. The door swings open, and she has to look down at Sans. He’s rubbing an eye and looks sleepy.

“Did you just wake up or something?” Undyne asks.

“hey, it’s saturday,” Sans says defensively, though he doesn’t sound too invested in it. “papyrus is in his room setting the uh… thing up.” He yawns and shuffles back to his room, shutting the door behind him. Undyne rolls her eye and goes to Papyrus’s room, letting herself in without knocking.

“UNDYNE!” he says excitedly, adjusting a camera.

“Alright let’s do this,” she replies.

I stand by and watch as they film, among other things: the biggest monster-built marble run in the world, Undyne deadlifting a bed, Papyrus flexing nonexistent muscles, and for some reason, just joking around each other. They seem to feel accomplished with what they've done but it really just seemed like pointless goofing off to me. After a long day of the activities, Undyne leaves, going back to her own home.

It’s a decidedly less fishy house than the last. Human architecture doesn’t often look like monster architecture. Undyne goes in and kicks her shoes off by the giant sword in her living room. She pops her shoulders and neck as she goes to sit on the sofa. Alphys shows up later with takeout food and they watch some cartoons for the rest of the night.

The next day isn’t particularly interesting. Undyne ends up doing a lot around the house. I notice that she never once turns on the light during the day, which strikes me as odd. Frisk doesn’t even sleep without some light in the room. Then again, Undyne did come from one of the darker areas of the underground. Most of the light in Waterfall came only from the glowing crystals far overhead that made up the false stars.

“Aw man, I told Tori I’d talk with her today,” she mutters later to herself. “Oh well, how hard can a gym class be?”

* * *

Undyne goes to the school bright and early the next day. She’s wearing basketball shirts and a jersey, so I take a guess that that’s what her plans are. She goes into the office, to Toriel. “Alright, here I am, ready for duty,” she says with a grin.

“I am glad you made it Undyne, I was a little worried when you didn’t talk with me yesterday,” Toriel says with a smile.

“Nah don’t worry,” Undyne says.

Toriel claps her hands together lightly. “Well, shall I show you to your classroom?”

“Sure,” Undyne replies.

Toriel dutifully leads her through the halls and opens a door to a room in the far off corner. It’s not very furnished. There aren’t any desks, but instead a large rug at the center. There’s a chalkboard at the front, and around the room an odd assortment of improvised drums, handmade maracas, empty bottles, a box of kazoos, and bells. In the far corner is a keyboard that looks like its seen some heavy use, and the remnants of a thrift store price sticker are still visible along the side.

Undyne stands mutely for a moment, taking it all in, before turning to Toriel. “Uh… heh… where’s the… gym?”

“The gym? …Oh, you thought… I could have sworn that I told you you would be teaching music class,” Toriel says, looking embarrassed. “You can play, correct? Asgore told me. I thought you would be a perfect person to fill in.”

A small bead of sweat trickles down the side of Undyne’s face but she manages to put on an almost convincing smile. “Yeah… Yeah, I can totally do it.”

“Great,” Toriel replies. “Well your first class is in thirty minutes. Have fun.” Toriel leaves, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she leaves, Undyne loses her composure. “Oh my god…” she mutters, then says the same thing again. “Heh… I haven’t taught music in years. I mean I guess Shyren is doing alright, but still…” She looks over to the keyboard in the corner. “Alright, I can do it. I mean, I can do anything, obviously.” She sits with the keyboard and sets it on her lap before turning it on. “Si- Ri… Si- Ri… Si- Mi…”

She reacquaints herself with the notes, and by the time the doorknob turns, the improvised melody she’s working on is almost… beautiful. A small gaggle of students go into the room as a teacher holds the door open.

“So… You kids want to learn the time honored tradition of... MUSIC!?”

I can’t deny it, watching her is pretty interesting. Undyne is as dramatic as always when she’s taking something seriously. The kids in the first class, all of them around eight or nine, make a great racket to Undyne’s instruction, as she writes different patterns of beats for them to play.

She does things a little differently for the next class. It’s younger kids, and her demeanor is somehow… softer, less threatening. It’s clear she’s not trying as hard to impress them, instead sitting them in a circle with the keyboard on her lap, playing, as they sing a few songs she teaches them.

A bell rings for lunch and she heads into the cafeteria. After getting her lunch, she stabs at some fruit with a plastic spork while looking around the room. It’s just enough room for the long tables where monsters and a few human kids sit to eat. There are the beginnings of some paintings brightening up the walls around them, and large windows let in sunlight and provide a view into the garden outside.

“So, how’s music class going?”

Undyne stops spacing out as Asriel sits with her, followed quickly by Frisk. “Aren’t you supposed to sit with the other kids, Dandelion?”

“You’re still going with that whole flower thing?” Asriel asks. “You don’t think that’s gotten old? At all?”

“Nah,” Undyne says. Frisk smiles a little bit. “So… I’ve only got you guys’ class left, right?”

“Yep,” Asriel replies. “Hope it’s actually good.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You just… y’know, seem more like a gym teacher or something.”

“Pft,” Undyne objects dismissively. “I can teach anything there is to be taught. Anyone should know that.”

“Cooking,” Frisk says quietly.

Undyne looks suddenly sheepish. “Okay… maybe there’s a few things I shouldn’t teach.”

After lunch, Undyne has a few minutes to set things up for the last bunch of kids. “Gym teacher… Ha, I’ll show him…”

The oldest bunch of kids, including Frisk and Asriel go into the room not long later. It only takes a few minutes of instruction before they have a tiny, noisy, makeshift drum, maraca, kazoo, bottle, and bell orchestra on their hands playing simple beats and melodies. I don’t think I’ve seen Undyne grin so wide, and in spite of myself, it almost makes me feel happy too.

“Thanks again for filling in,” Toriel says after class is let out. Asriel and Frisk are working on stacking and putting away the rest of the musical instruments behind her.  

Undyne scratches at a fin. “No problem… it was actually kind of fun.”

“Well good,” Toriel says. “I wasn’t too sure if it would be something you’d ever want to do again, but… does this mean I should come to you next time something like this happens?”

Undyne considers it. “Yeah… I’d like that.”

I look to Frisk and Asriel, wondering if I should go back with them now. Staying with them has been so dull though. This was actually a little different. Maybe for now, we'll go our separate ways.


	3. Small Comforts

“Music huh… well it’s not really that surprising, you play really n- nicely,” Alphys says. She and Undyne are eating dinner together at Undyne’s house, a few hours after school ended.

“Yeah, I guess,” Undyne says as she twirls some pasta on a fork. “Ha, it was actually kind of fun.”

“G- glad you had a good time.”

“Yeah, and all those kids loved me, it was awesome. Hey! Maybe you can teach science sometime.”

“Oh no, no, no…” Alphys says. “they wouldn’t learn anything from me anyway…”

“They’re all smart kids,” Undyne says.

“I know, but I mean, I’d be an awful teacher… heh no surprise there, right?”

“I think you’d do fine,” Undyne says.

Alphys shakes her head, “No, that’s just nuts.”

Undyne stabs at a meatball. “It’s not nuts, you’d be great, I’m telling you that.”

“I wouldn’t be great,” Alphys says. “I mean, I’m not great at anything like that so… yeah.”

Undyne narrows her eye. “You know you can’t just come into my house and call me nuts.”

Alphys blinks. “I’m not, I just…”

“Sounds like you are,” Undyne says.

“No… No, I just meant…” Alphys trails off, looking down. “Nevermind,” she puts her fork and knife down, standing. “I- I’ll see you later, Undyne,” she says before she turns and starts to leave. I follow without a second thought.

I hear Undyne’s voice right as the door closes. “Hey, Al-“but she’s cut off as it’s shut, and Alphys walks away from it.

She shuffles out with her head down, making herself seem even smaller than she normally does. I watch as she half-heartedly flags down a cab and gets in. The human driver looks at her critically in his rear-view mirror, but accepts her money and starts driving to the address she gives him. Still the way he looks at her occasionally, checking her, suspicious… I’ve seen eyes like his, and there’s nothing about him I like.

When she gets out, she says, “Thanks. H- have a good n- night.” He doesn’t respond and my disdain for him only grows. Nice to know humans haven’t changed since I left this world behind. Alphys goes up some stairs of her apartment building, unlocking a door on the third floor and flipping the lights on.

I can see why she went to Undyne’s house to watch cartoons and not the other way around. The place was a wreck. I take a quick survey of the area, while I try to avoid the empty soda bottles and bags of popato chisps. In another room, the bed is unmade and clothes cover the floor. Some of them look like they may have been attempted to be folded, so it’s a little unclear if they’re all clean, dirty, or some sort of mix. The pillows are on the floor and the blanket is draped half off the bed and half on. The sink is full of dishes. I see Alphys look at it and then almost purposefully avoid glancing that way again, as though not acknowledging them will make them clean themselves. Instead she hunts down a clean spoon, grabs a pint of ice cream from the fridge, and sits down, putting a “Mew Mew: Kissy Cutie” episode on her TV. I can’t help but wish Toriel was here, she could at least straighten the place up and make Alphys some pie. That usually helped Asriel if he was ever sad.

Even so, after a while, the anime seems to cheer her up, she covers her mouth as soon as what I presume to be the main character’s love interest steps onto the screen. I don’t really understand it, she has her own girlfriend, why worry about someone else getting together? Especially when said someone isn’t even real.

Alphys falls asleep on her sofa as another episode starts. Hm… guess it can’t hurt to watch a few more without her. But a few episodes in, an “Are you still watching?” message pops up and there is nothing I can do. Curse you, online video streaming service, curse you…

* * *

 

Four hours later and a high pitched beeping grates on my nerves. Alphys sits up, disoriented, and taps her phone before falling back asleep. I look phone over her shoulder… two missed calls, and it’s 6:50 AM. Doesn’t she have work?

Her alarm starts again a minute or two later, now muffled after falling between sofa cushions. It’s clear it isn’t going to wake her. Hm… what to do…

I concentrate deeply and reach out to touch her shoulder.

“Brr, cold…” she mutters as she sits up and rubs her arm. That actually worked? How interesting… I wonder if- “Oh no, I’m late,” Alphys says suddenly, jumping up and running to the bathroom. Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome Alphys.

After a very rushed morning routine, we’re on our way to work. She grips the handrail on the bus looking around herself at the humans around her. Some are staring, while others are pointedly looking away. I wish they would all just stop. It’s a long and awkward bus ride as it trails up to the university. I’d Ialmost forgotten she had a job here… it’s odd to think, once a royal scientist, and now with a job so relatively mundane.

She gets off the bus and looks ahead to a large hill in front of her. With a sigh, she starts walking. Her eyes are set firmly on the ground and several times, her tail starts to droop to the ground, before she pulls it up once again once it starts to drag. She enters a building and fumbles around her pockets for a key. Her eyes widen and she double checks her pockets for it with no luck. “Oh why now,” she mutters.

“hey don’t worry, i got it.” Sans strolls by her and unlocks the door. “after you?”

“Thanks, Sans,” Alphys says quietly.

“you’re a little late,” Sans notes, though not unkindly.

Alphys replies with a listless “Mm.”

They get to work and unfortunately, it’s all a little bit beyond my comprehension. …Don’t get mad at me, that’s what happens when you only have a fifth grade education.

It’s later in the day when Alphys drops a stack of books off a shelf. “S- s- sorry,” she mutters over and over again.

“it’s ok, alphys…” Sans says. “you know though, you’ve been really distracted today.”

“Sorry…” Alphys says again.

“no, hey don’t worry,” Sans says. “you’re just, you know… not normally like this. what’s wrong?”

Alphys shrugs, picking the books up and putting them on the shelf.

Sans looks at her quietly, studying her. “hey, let’s go to grillby’s,” he suddenly suggests.

“Grillby’s…?” Alphys replies uncertainly.

“yeah, c’mon, it’s lunch time anyway,” he says, and before she can respond, he’s pushed her out the door. “think he’s got a new special. hope it’s good with ketchup.”

Alphys is shaking her head. “I- I don’t th- think I’m up for it, S- Sans…”

“nonsense,” Sans replies. “you can’t be upset at grillby’s unless you’re papyrus.” Alphys sighs, but follows him, exiting the building and going down to the bus. They get on it and Sans pays the fee for both of them. Alphys looks out the window quietly. 

After a few stops they disembark and it only takes a little ambling around before they find Grillby’s new restaurant. It’s a large deep red brick building on the corner. The pub’s sign is strikingly similar to the one at the previous location… maybe it was even the very same sign that was there, brought out of the underground by the fiery bartender. Sans leads Alphys in and I look around at the assortment of monsters at booths and tables. It’s a little dim inside, but it’s a warm and happy atmosphere, and though I can’t explain it, it feels a lot more like the underground did than anywhere else on the surface. A few of the monsters turn when they see Sans.

“Hey you’re early today,” a large toothed one says.

“Hey Sans,” a red, feathered one waves.

Sans greets the monsters as he walks up to the bar and sits. Grillby barely looks up from polishing glasses. “i’ll have the usual,” Sans says. He looks at Alphys.

“Uh… uh… just whatever Sans wants…”  Grillby doesn’t say anything but tilts his head a little to ask if she’s absolutely sure about that. “Or… a uh… burger and onion rings?” Alphys amends. This time Grillby nods and goes to the back. “I don’t usually like g- going out like this…” Alphys says quietly to Sans.

“yeah, i noticed,” he replies. “but with the way your girlfriend cooks, you’re going to end up being more boney than me.”

“She’s not… that bad. Really. If anything she’s improving.”

“well i couldn’t see her getting worse.” Sans swivels on his bar stool. “so… what’s got you down anyway? she put you in a trashcan again?”

“No b- but she probably should…” Alphys sighs. “I’m just… so dumb…”

“you’ve got a job description that says otherwise,” Sans points out. “so what happened?”

“I don’t really wanna t- talk about it…” But Sans continues to look at her expectantly. “We uh… we just uh… we… got in… a little fight…”

“happens sometimes. it wasn’t over anything important was it?”

“No, it was just about me…”

Sans frowns a little. “alphys, no offense, but that sounds pretty important.” If anything, Alphys’s face turns a little red, and she starts to tap her finger together, not meeting Sans’s eyes. “so… how’d you have a fight about you anyway?”

It’s pretty clear Alphys doesn’t want to answer. “I… you know, I just… uh, I… …I said I wasn’t… good at… anything. And it just sort of, er… escalated.”

Sans’s expression softens and he pats her shoulder. “hey you’re good at lots of stuff! probably more stuff than me… but not napping, i’ve got you beat there.” She doesn’t smile, or even acknowledge what he said. “hey… alphys, seriously… you are.”

“I just… I don’t get why she got mad at me, I thought I was just stating the obvious,” she says.

Sans shakes his head. “you weren’t stating the obvious, you were just selling her favorite person in the world short. i think that’s enough to make most people a little mad.”

“I… didn’t really think about it like that,” Alphys admits. “Still… kind of h- hard not to when I can’t do anything right, ever…”

Sans is about to object when Grillby sets their food in front of them. A burger and onion rings as requested for Alphys, and a small mountain of fries, dripping with ketchup for Sans. Alphys nibbles at hers in silence. He takes a fry off the top of the pile and twirls it around a little before throwing it into his mouth.  He picks up another and looks at the bright red ketchup. After a few moments of thinking, he turns to her.

“you know, i still dream about it sometimes.”

“About what?” Alphys asks.

“the timeline… all those other timelines i mean,” he says with a tap to just above his left eye. “you know how many there were?” She shakes her head. “well… there were lots. and it’s weird, even though they technically never happened, they’re all sort of real, in a way.” He pauses to eat a couple of fries. “some of them stick out more than others. but one i still dream about was one of the worst.”

“What… happened?” Alphys asks.

“…a lot,” he says quietly. “they thought at least fifty monsters died, probably more… papyrus… he was… one of them.” He takes a deep breath. “undyne too… everyone was terrified, they thought it’d be them next. and it probably would’ve been if one monster hadn’t risen up, taken charge, and gotten so many of them to safety. she was a true hero… and even after the threat was gone, even though she’d suffered so much, she led the entire underground, trying to rebuild hope in spite of our losses… you know who she was?”

“…Toriel?” Alphys asks.

“no, no i think toriel must have been long gone. she ended up being in charge in a lot of timelines, but not this one… the person who saved monsterkind was you, alphys.”

She blinks. “Me? …How do I know you aren’t m- making this up?”

“you think i could make that up? …it was… amazing to me. i’d already given up at that point, but you wouldn’t. and keeping everything together, after all that?” he shakes his head. “i guess what i’m saying is… you’re a lot more capable than you give yourself credit for."

Alphys is quiet for a long time. “So I did my best in the face of… some s- sort of apocalypse where all my friends died… small comfort.”

Sans frowns. “yeah i guess that part is a little depressing.” She nods and nibbles on her burger. “well… still, you’ve got a lot of good stuff locked up in you. deep down, you’re as strong as undyne, you’re as strong as anyone. try and remember that, okay?”

“I… I’ll try,” Alphys says.

“good,” Sans replies. “well… it’s been nice to… ketchup with you…” he holds up a fry, “but we should probably get back to work huh?”

“Yeah… probably,” Alphys replies.

* * *

 

Once they get back, Alphys lingers in the hall. “I’ll be in in just a minute,” she says. Once shes alone, she pulls her phone out and dials. “Hey… Undyne it’s me. Um… I’m uh… see, I’m… I’m…”

I hear Undyne interrupt from the other side of the line. “Alphys, I’m sorry…”

“…Me too,” Alphys replies.

“I guess it’s just… I worry about you sometimes, and I mean, I know that it’s hard, but I wish you could believe in yourself.”

“…Me too,” Alphys replies. “I mean… I’m as tough as you deep down, right?”

Undyne laughs. “Yeah you are!”

Alphys smiles a little bit. “I’ll keep trying if you keep putting up with me.”

“Hey, you don’t have to ask me twice to do that,” Undyne replies. “So… dinner at my place?”

“Sounds great,” Alphys says. “Love you, Undyne.”

“Yeah, me too, you big nerd.” In spite of her words, I can tell from her tone she’s probably blushing on the other end.

Alphys hangs up and goes into the lab, looking happy for once that day. And I can’t really say I regret following her. I learned a lot… that sometimes Sans still has nightmares… that often, Alphys still has doubts. But they’re working through their problems… maybe there will even come a time when those problems disappear.

For now, I look to the skeleton. He’s never been one to let anyone know all of what is going on with him. I wonder if there’s much he’s hiding these days.


	4. The Least Dangerous Game

If Sans doesn’t do something interesting soon, I will scream.

Not that he’ll hear me, but I will do it, I swear.

It’s been three days of following the (Younger? Older?) skeleton around, and so far he hasn’t done a single thing that’s captured my attention. How is the most mysterious and one of the more powerful monsters in the underworld so… dull? How does a monster sleep so much? And the puns… _endless_. I thought Toriel had a bad sense of humor, but this guy! How does he stand himself? …Wait. …What the heck is he reading about on the computer?

I’m trying to see around his skull, but Sans leaning very close to the screen. “yeah, that’ll do,” he says to himself. What will do? What’s he planning…? I lean over his shoulder and the only words I can make out are “capture the thief” and “evil overlord” and “fire breathing dragon” before a printing icon flashes on the screen and startles me. The printer comes to life, making an annoying screechy sound as it spits out page after page of paper, all of which, to my dismay, are face-down where I can’t read them.

Sans whistles a tune through his teeth and picks the papers up and tucks them under his arm. I keep moving around him, trying to get to an angle where I can read it, but it’s no use. Sans goes to a table, set up near the kitchen, and clears it off… why though? It isn’t like him to straighten anything up.

Even more surprisingly, he’s setting up a few candles, and before I know it, he’s turned out the lights.

…Do monsters have cults? I never heard about any when I was living in the underground, but I suppose anything is possible. Oh no… what if Sans is in a cult? If it’s anything like a human cult there’s going to be a blood sacrifice and chanting… just like it is on TV! That’s not something that those shows the other kids weren’t allowed to watch would make up, right?

I watch him sit at the head of the table and set out a few pouches, each one looking like it might contain a few stones. He must be the cult leader… I never thought it would come to this. How horrible… but exciting at least.

I can hear, but not see, a few people starting to enter the room. I listen closely. there's two... no, three people? They seat themselves but stay eerily silent. "glad you could all make it," Sans says. It's a few more minutes before I hear the door open again and two more sets of footsteps, these much lighter, enter the apartment.

Light suddenly floods the room, and I look over to see Asriel of all people with his paw still on the light switch. ...What would _he_  be doing here? Even more surprisingly, Frisk is a few feet behind them, holding onto Asriel’s arm, but looking relieved when they can see in the room. .

"aw, you ruined the atmosphere," Sans complains.

"It w- w- was too dark anyway," Alphys mutters and Frisk nods emphatically in agreement. Alphys is sitting next to Undyne and Papyrus is seated next to her, at the other end of the table.

"Sorry Sans," Asriel says as he sits. Frisk takes a seat next to him, and both look to Sans, who's blowing out the candles around the room.

"oh well," he says with a shug. "so... to business... here begins the first annual ‘monsters and mazes’ night." With that, he dumps out the little pouches and dice spill out.

...That's what he's been doing all this time? Organizing a game? Well, that's a little disappointing, much less exciting than a cult anyway.

"SO WHAT ARE WE DOING FIRST, SANS?" Papyrus asks.

"first... characters. you each need one, but here's the rule: no stereotypical stuff."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Undyne asks.

"i mean this is a role playing thing, and you five can't play anything too like yourselves. so..." He points to Undyne. "no warriors." He points to Alphys. "no scientists." He points to Asriel. "No chaotic evil."

"I wasn't going to!" Asriel protests. "But..."

"but what?" Sans asks.

Asriel shuffles through his pockets and takes out a folded piece of paper. “I um… drew a picture of the character I wanted,” he says, passing it to Sans.

Sans takes a look at it. “uh… kid, no,” he says simply, passing it back, keeping it turned face down. “glad you came prepared, but… no. try again.”

“What’s wrong with it?” Asriel demands. He pushes it back towards Sans.

“first of all, what on earth is an ‘absolute god of hyperdeath?’ and second of all, why so many rainbows?” Sans asks, critically looking at the drawing. I look over his shoulder. …Oh Asriel, no. I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed for him as I look at the colorful crayon drawing.

“Omg, what? I want to see,” Undyne says leaning over his shoulder.

“Well you don’t get to,” Asriel says, trying to snatch it back.

But Undyne is quicker and she holds up the picture between her and Alphys. Undyne cracks up, while Alphys waves her arm at her, trying to get her to stop laughing at Asriel. “Undyne c’mon, it’s… it’s his first original character…”

“There’s nothing wrong with it!” Asriel says.

Undyne shakes her head. “It’s so over the top… it’s so clashy… it’s so overpowered…” she says with a huge smile. “I love it!”

Asriel blinks, looking at her with his head at a slight tilt. “You… do?”

“Oh yeah, as far as magical girl versions of you go, this is the best.”

“Magical _what_?” Asriel asks.

Undyne points at it to Alphys. “Hey can you imagine him just spinning and all that music and the lights and everything?” Alphys looks a little amused at the idea. “Hey, hey Asriel, you could totally do your own transformation sequence with all that power you got from the Core, couldn’t you?” He shrugs weakly, looking as though he regrets ever bringing it up. “Oh man, you totally could! See, this is perfect!”

“Just give it back,” Asriel says grumpily, taking the drawing and tearing it up.

“Aw c’mon dude, that was so awesome!” Undyne says.

“No,” he replies with crossed arms.

“well you still need a character, kid,” Sans says.

“Can I still be a warlock? I don’t care what kind…”

Sans thinks about it and apparently decides to bend his rule about “no stereotypical stuff” just a little. Asriel had probably already been disappointed enough. “yeah, sure, i’ll put you down as a… hm… how’s chaotic neutral elf sound?”

Asriel shrugs. “Don’t know what that means but I assume I’ll find out.”

“yep. alright, wanna make yours next bro?” Sans asks Papyrus.

“SANS, NO OFFENCE, BUT THIS WHOLE GAME JUST SOUNDS SO… BORING?”

“alright, you want to be our rogue? sounds great,” Sans says writing into the character sheet.

“THAT’S NOT WHAT I SAID AT ALL,” Papyrus protests. “THAT’S BASICALLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT I SAID.”

“and you can be a gnome.”

“A WHAT???”

“so that was easy,” Sans says, before turning to Frisk. “alright kid, lets start yours… uh… a boy character or a girl?”

After a brief moment of consideration, “…No,” Frisk says simply.

“heh, good answer,” Sans says, writing ‘no’ into the character sheet. “alright, charismatic kid like you… you’ll be the bard. high speech and all that. Sound good?” Frisk considers and nods approvingly.

“What? Oh my god, no, if anyone’s the big talker, it’s Daisy over there,” Undyne says.

“yeah but we’re counting quality, not quantity,” Sans replies. Asriel rolls his eyes in annoyance at the two of them. Old habits died hard it seemed.  Sans turns to Alphys. “so for you i was thinking…”

“A- Actually, I kind of had my own idea, if that’s okay…” Alphys says, tapping her fingers together.

“oh, really? well go for it.”

“Okay,” Alphys says. “Well she’s a barbarian Dragonborn, who’s on a quest for her clan to find an object that’s considered a sacred representation for the god Bahaza, and she’s skilled with a war axe and has the ability to breathe fire in a line over four meters. She’s six feet tall and weighs 186 pounds. She has red and orange scales and yellow eyes. Her background is the artisan and she’s a blacksmith who has forged her own blades. She owes allegiance first and foremost to her clan and has two apprentices who she wants to impress. She mostly speaks draconic and not all that much basic. She’s carrying 12 gold and has her axe and a short sword, both steel. She wears leather armor and-“

Sans cuts her off. “you uh… put a lot of thought into this. good for you, i’ll assume you know what you’re doing. undyne, you’re next. i’m thinking… cleric.”

“Why…” she asks flatly.

“pacifist cleric. lawful good. half-orc annnnddd… former orphan with a pet mouse. done.”

Undyne sighs. “Whatever, can we start now?”

“yep. alright, you all meet in a bar run by…” he stops to check a page, “rayloff of the small hamlet of forestsglen. each of you have seen a wanted poster for a certain notorious outlaw name… Jerry, and finding him will aid in your own personal quests. undyne wishes to teach him the error of his ways and redeem his soul, papyrus needs to put him out of business because he is from a rival thieves guild, asriel seeks a book of spells he has stolen, frisk holds a personal grudge, and alphys… uh…”

“He stole villiage’s artifact! He must pay!” she pipes up.

“cool. so you all meet there. begin.”

Papyrus looks confused. “SO WE TALK NOW?”

“yeah just stay in character,” Sans replies.

“OKAY… AHEM… I, THE GREAT THIEF, PAPYRUS, SHALL CATCH THIS FELLOW CRIMINAL AND HE SHALL NEVER TAKE THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO TAKE EVER AGAIN.”

“the village’s guards hear you confess to your crimes and enter to arrest you,” Sans says without missing a beat.

“AW, NO…”

“you can resist arrest, bargain your way out… or whatever.”

Frisk raises their hand.

Sans looks at them questioningly. “or your new friend can uh… convince the guards to let him go?” Frisk nods. “alright sure, roll for charisma.”

Frisk takes a die from the middle of the table and rolls a seventeen.

“niiiiice,” Sans notes. “you tell the guards that papyrus is rehearsing for a play. they take your word for it.”

“THANK YOU BARD PERSON.”

Undyne grimaces, “Guess it’s my turn.” She clears her throat and puts on the voice she normally uses for her speeches. “I… propose, that we go… and uh… catch this no-good… doer… and,” she drops the voice suddenly and glares at Sans. “How the heck do clerics even talk?”

“i think you were doing just fine,” Sans says with a snicker. “very justice-y.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Undyne says before continuing, “I propose we team up and catch this evil doer, so that we may cleanse his injustice from this world.”

“I just want my book back,” Asriel says.

“And I must find artifact!” Alphys adds.

“I WANT TO STICK WITH MY NEW FRIEND THE BARD!” Papyrus says, putting an arm around Frisk who smiles happily.

“Then,” Undyne says, “It is settled. Let us leave this quaint village and find this villain!” She looks to Sans. “And then we all leave?”

Sans nods. “thus the group proceeds to the last seen whereabouts of the thief jerry. they travel to the plains of… uh…” he checks the page, “ovalar, and seek out the criminal. unfortunately… it’s a trap! he leaves an ambush of other thieves. roll for initiative.”

Everyone rolls a die and stares at the result.

“I… THINK I GO FIRST?” Papyrus says uncertainly. Sans nods. “I… RUN.”

“Coward!” Alphys says. “I attack the thieves, I aim to knock them out with the blunt side of my axe!” She rolls a die rather forcefully. I can’t believe this is the same person I was following around a few days ago…

Sans looks at the die. “alright, you hit one hard enough to stun her. she’ll suffer a penalty to accuracy and movement.”

Frisk takes a die. “I play… a…lullaby?” they say uncertainly.

“sounds legit,” Sans says.

They roll a die. Sans decides it affects two of the thieves.

“Alright, what can I do?” Undyne asks.

“detect evil.”

“Oh come on!” She complains. “I punch a thief.”

“now, now, would a pacifist do that?”

“Gently,” Frisk says.

Undyne rolls her eye. “Yeah, fine… gently.” She rolls the die… and it lands on one.

“hmm…” Sans looks at it for a few seconds. “you try to punch the thief gently. they fly across the field and land unconscious forty meters away.”

“Works for me.”

“I use a freezing spell on the last thief,” Asriel declares. He rolls a die and it seems to meet Sans’s criteria.

“alright, they’re all incapacitated. moving on.” Sans shuffles through some pages. “you all continue to travel and eventually catch up to jerry. he says, ‘aha, so you have caught me. unfortunately i no longer have your precious artifact and… uh… also i was only working for a king in a foreign land the whole time. ha.’ and he runs away.”

“Hang on… I tell him to repent his evil ways!” Undyne says.

“nope, he’s gone,” Sans says.

“What a load of bull sh-“

“UNDYNE, NO,” Papyrus says covering her mouth. She bites down on a boney finger. “OW!”

“Cleric must calm down. We must find evil king!” Alphys says.

“She’s right,” Asriel agrees.

“okay,” Sans says. “so you cross the sea of aquario to the foreign land. and uh…” he checks his papers again. “encounter a large dragon, which lands on the boat. and you must kill it to proceed.”

“Wait, do we have to kill it?” Asriel asks, looking dismayed.

Sans shuffles through some papers. “apparently?”

“But it’s another monster!” Undyne protests. “There’s no reason to kill it.”

Sans looks uncomfortable. “look, i didn’t make the story…”

There’s a chorus of ‘you _didn’t!_?’ right after he says this.

“i found it okay? it was rated four out of five stars. ...wait, that's four out of ten stars. oh well. anyway, the monster’s just supposed to be a challenge to face. quit dragon this out.” He winks and Frisk, Papyrus, and Undyne all groan.

“IF IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE A CHALLENGE, WHY NOT A NICE PUZZLE INSTEAD?” Papyrus asks.

“O- or a robot qu- quiz show?” Alphys suggests, finally out of character.

“Or even just a friendly duel,” Undyne adds.

“i don’t know, i didn’t write this,” Sans says again. “it just says kill the dragon.”

Frisk thinks for a moment, then pushes themself away from the table and hops off their chair. Asriel looks at Frisk, then sans. “I think I’m with them.” And he too leaves the table.

Sans looks at the other three monsters and shrugs. “guess i’ll find a better story next time?” Sans says.

“How about Alphys does it?” Undyne asks. “I think she’s the only one who’s played before anyway.”

“J- just a few times,” Alphys says.

And I watch as they decide that cards and pizza will be a better use of their time. So much for the first annual monsters and mazes… I sit on the table as they play, watching them have fun, and catching Frisk slyly trading a card with Asriel. I'm just hoping the next day will feel a little less pointless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this idea ages ago, while still writing the first fic, so it had to be done. Sorry to anyone expecting something mindblowing now that Chara's following Sans.


	5. Sans's Night Out

If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would’ve missed when Sans slipped away in the middle of the night. He’s careful not to wake Papyrus, or Alphys or Undyne who are both asleep on the sofa. Toriel came to pick up the other two kids hours ago. But Sans remains awake, and he exits his and Papyrus’s apartment unnoticed. I follow him, curious as to where he’s going.

He walks down the stairs outside at his leisurely, ambling pace. From his body language, he seems aimless – just moving for the sake of moving. Yet his eyes are focused ahead. I feel as though he must see the world a little differently from the others. He looks more closely at things, more intently. He lifts his hand occasionally, using what remains of his magic to move what he finds on the street sides around. I wonder briefly how he’s adjusting without it… surely his little shortcut trick has been missed, at the very least. I wonder if he misses his powers like I miss mine.

I look around the city as he walks… it’s the first time I’ve seen parts of it. I lived outside it back before I went to the underground, in a village on the opposite side of Mount Ebot. Sometimes I went on trips here for school, but it wasn’t too often. It was a pretty safe town, all things considered, and I suppose that now that most of the monsters lived here, it felt a little bit safer to me.

Sans seems to know his way pretty well, though I have no idea at all where he’s going. Unlike me, he doesn’t stop to look at buildings around him. I wonder if he’s in a hurry to get to wherever it is he’s going. The only time he ever pauses on his walk is towards the edge of town, where I can hear the sounds of laughter and two people… or perhaps monsters… running around.

He stops and looks down the street. “that frisk’s friend?” he wonders out loud before wandering over. Two armless bipedal reptiles are running around the street. One hits what looks like a soccer ball on their head and passes it to the smaller one, who wears a bow. I can’t help but find it odd… what are they doing here?

“aren’t you kids out a little late?” Sans asks as he walks over to them apparently wondering the same thing.

A few things happen in quick succession. The older monster kid looks at him, startled. The ball bounces off their head, off Sans’s skull, and right into a light bulb in a lamp above them. It shatters, quite loudly, and pieces of glass rain down. “Yo… it broke,” Monster Kid says, staring at what’s left of the light bulb.

“yep,” Sans says, rubbing his cranium. “now, i’ll ask again, aren’t you two out late?”

The smaller one looks up. “People get mad if we play during the day time, they look at us funny too!”

“well it’s probably not safe… this place isn’t like the underground, you know that right?” Sans asks.

“Y- yeah,” Monster Kid says, looking embarrassed. “Should… we go home, yo?”

“wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Sans replies.

“What about the light?” their sibling asks.

Sans looks from the light to a nearby convenience store. “wonder if they have glue…”

Five minutes and two dollars later, the three are trying the impossible task of gluing a light bulb back together. It’s not going very well… not exactly unpredictable. “Oh man,” the kid says under his breath.

“what?” Sans asks, holding a few shards up with magic as he tries to set them into place.

“My parents are gonna kill me when they find out,” the kid replies.

“eh, doubt it. seems pretty counterproductive if you ask me. or counterreproductive…”

Huh?”

“nothing. they aren’t going to kill you, they’re your parents,” Sans reassures them.

 

* * *

I think back to when Asriel and I still lived in New Home, back when Asgore and Toriel ruled as king and queen of the underworld. Looking back, it wasn’t a bad life. I had a bed, toys, clothes, a friend… everything I needed. Toriel and Asgore were kind to me, not at all like what I had heard that monsters were like. On the surface monsters were something to scare children, someone to scapegoat for bad luck. They were feared because of their magic, and even Mount Ebot was feared when it was rumored to be connected. That, and no one ever came back from Mount Ebot. But it was very rare that I was afraid in Toriel and Asgore’s home… most of the time.

It was just me and Asriel in the house. Toriel was out for the day, at a school to visit the children. Asgore was outside, gardening. Me and Asriel were playing tag, running around the house. It was my idea. We weren’t supposed to run around the halls, there were shelves around, mostly holding objects presented to the king and queen. One of these was an ornate vase that had been uncovered in the junk area. It was miraculously undamaged, and Toriel liked it a lot. “Hey, Asriel,” I said, looking up at a plate on the shelf. “You know you can throw those like a disk? They go really far.”

“Really? I don’t think that sounds right, Chara.”

“Oh come on, I bet you could reach it,” I told him.

He says okay, but only if I can give him a boost up. I try to pick him up and he tries to stand on my shoulder to reach. “Ow,” I said. “Asriel c’mon I can’t hold you up forever...”

“I’ve almost got it.” He managed to grab the plate and pull it towards him, but slips a little, having to grab the bookshelf to stabilize himself and shaking it, making everything on it wobble precariously…

And I watch the vase fall to the ground and shatter.

I had only broken a glass in my own house once, before I went underground. We didn’t have very many, my parents mostly drank out of brown glass bottles. But when I dropped that one, I’d learned a valuable lesson. Don't hurt their things, or…

“They’re going to hurt you,” I told Asriel.

“What?” He asked. He seemed to take my word for it right away.

“They are, you broke the vase… They’re going to hurt us… I don’t want them to!”

“They won’t, Chara,” he says.

But I hear heavy footsteps and I run to our room to hide. “Now who made this mess?” was Asgore’s low but gentle rumble.

“I- I- …Sorry dad, w- I mean, I… I was just trying to get a plate and… I didn’t mean to I promise,” Asriel said with a trembling lip. I don’t think I had ever realized before that he was probably younger than me. At least he sounded a lot younger when he clumsily lied like that to try to avoid trouble. He had a lot of ‘tells’ when he lied. I’d learned all about those from late nights on my own back on the surface, watching crime dramas. Funnily enough, among all the murder and courtroom drama… that was when I felt safe.

I heard Asgore sigh. “I understand if you weren’t trying to hurt anything but you need to be more careful.”

“I know,” Asriel said.

Asgore told him to go find a broom, but walked over to our room and knocked once he was gone. “Chara?” I felt a rush of fear at that voice. I kept thinking to myself- he could set me on fire if he wanted, he could crush me if he wanted, he could tear me apart if he wanted… “Chara, why don’t you come out?”

“I didn’t do it,” I practically squeak. It was embarrassing even then.

“It’s okay, Chara, I just want to talk.” I don’t even consider moving. I can hear Asriel arrive with the broom and dustpan and Asgore gives up on me. “Let’s get this cleaned up then. If the mess isn’t there, your mother might not get so mad.”

“Yeah… okay,” Asriel said. And he sounds so relieved to not be in trouble… not that he’s every really gotten in too much trouble anyway. His parents were incredibly soft on him. When Toriel got home, she didn’t yell either. She talked to Asriel about the vase, but she doesn’t do anything else to him. He gets a few more chores to do over the next few days, and that’s it. It’s over. Even when he asked if she’d hurt him since he hurt her stuff, she had hugged him and said, “Of course not, Asriel… it was a nice thing, and a beautiful thing, but it was just that- a thing. You, my child, are irreplaceable.”

Asriel never once had any real reason to be afraid… and I envied him.  

* * *

“there,” Sans says as he and Monster Kid finish gluing the light bulb.

“Yo, is this really going to work…?” The kid asks.

Sans shrugs as he uses magic to lift the light bulb up and screw it in. Just that small act of magic leaves him looking exhausted and he yawns and rubs his head. “dunno, hope so. we should get going before anyone gets mad though, and aren’t you kids supposed to be home?”

“Heh… don’t tell our parents, okay?” the monster kid pleads.

“Yeah, seriously,” their sister adds.

Sans thinks it over for a minute. “meh… alright, but just this once. i’m not an on the scene reporter.”

“Huh?” they both ask.

“i don’t tell anyone 'breaking' news,” Sans says with a wink.

Monster Kid, bless their heart, laughs, and I follow along as Sans walks the two back to their house.

It’s very, very late before Sans finally arrives at what I think is his destination… It’s Mount Ebbot… I stay close to him as we climb up. So many people were afraid to tread here that it’s barely changed since I made the ascent. For a moment I fear that once we reach the top, he’ll jump, but instead he goes into a cavern in the side of the mountain. It’s dark in there, and I’m only able to see the interior after Sans takes a flashlight from his pocket and clicks it on. A few bats scatter when he shines the light toward the cavern ceiling.

As we go deeper into the cave, I start to notice I feel weird… Like my entire being is filled with static. I don’t like it very much, and can’t help but feel like I shouldn’t be there. Sans stops abruptly and searches through his pockets once again, taking out a folded piece of paper. Sans takes a deep breath and holds it out. He closes his eyes in deep focus and slowly, a blue aura surrounds the page and it lifts off his metacarpals into the air. It drifts slowly towards the back of the cave. In a sudden flash of white light, it disappears.

Sans opens his eyes, looking at the spot where the paper vanished for a moment in quiet reflection. "respond this time... would you?" he says quietly. Then he puts his hands in his hoodie pockets, and he turns and walks back out the way he came. I follow him out, back to the city, through the city, and back to his home, all the while wondering what had been written on that paper. The sun rises behind us as the rest of the world starts to wake up.

As Sans opens the front door and goes back in, I look at the clock. It’s 6AM. Undyne, Papyrus, and Alphys are still asleep, and aside from the occasional snore, the apartment is quiet. Sans goes to his room, which is somehow a greater mess than Alphys whole house. He stumbles to his bed and flops onto it, without even bothering to change his clothes. He’s fast asleep before before he even hits it. Not surprising after he was awake for as long as he was and he used as much magic as he did.

He looks like he’ll get cold as he is, just barely on the bed with no sheets or anything. There’s a blanket right next to him. I wonder…

I try to pick it up, but it, like everything else, slips right through my fingers. I frown and focus, trying again. I feel like it might have moved, but it’s hard to tell. I spend some time trying to move it, but I can’t… I feel powerless, more so than I have in a very long time.

* * *

The next morning starts fairly early of one of the two brothers. The other one remains in bed, where he’s been sleeping for little more than an hour. “SANS!” Papyrus calls out. “DO YOU WANT BREAKFAST!?”

“Pft, lazy bones like him probably won’t be up until tomorrow,” Undyne quips.

“WELL… HE DOES ALWAYS SLEEP IN ON SATURDAYS. GUESS THE WEEK TIRES HIM OUT.”

Sans meanwhile mumbles in his sleep, remembering timelines where Flowey had been more active, and possibly a few of mine as well. Sans: still an enigma to me, still often an annoyance. And yet… nearly passed out after his strange midnight trek, which seemed so important to him. It’s odd to see him in such a vulnerable state. And yet... I can't find quite the same animosity towards him I once had. He's... okay, I think to myself. And just as I think this, he clumsily pulls the covers over himself, still obviously fast asleep and snoring. I can't help but smile a little at that. To the strongest of the monsters… the weakest of the monsters…

…Sleep tight.


	6. Star Quality

“ SANS THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!”

I watch Sans lift his head up from a cereal bowl that he’d nearly face planted into. “exciting…?” he asks sleepily.

“METTATON IS DOING A SHOW IN THIS CITY AGAIN!”

“oh… okay… cool, bro,” he replies before lowering his skull again and seemingly drifting off.

It’s another Saturday morning. I’ve been here for a few of them now. I’ve mostly been trying to figure out what Sans has been sneaking out to do. I’ve learned he does it every Friday night, always floats one note to the back of that cave, always waits for a reply… never gets one. And that’s about it. As interesting as it’s been, it hasn’t been very enlightening.

“CAN WE GO, SANS???” Papyrus asks.

Sans is still almost dozing. “…go?” he asks.

“YES, BROTHER, THIS IS AN OPORTUNITY! WE HAVE TO SEIZE IT!”

“uh… yeah… sure bro…” he says, probably too sleepy to realize what he agreed to.

“GREAT! I SHOULD TELL ALPHYS AND UNDYNE!” he says, rushing to the phone. Meanwhile Sans’s chin slips off the hand that was propping it up and he practically face-plants into his cereal bowl. I can’t help but think he doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere today.

A few phone calls are made and I listen in on the conversation. It isn’t too difficult with Undyne. Papyrus could be loud and excited, but so could she. And she make her position on seeing Mettaton live once again.

“Oh gawd, no. Not unless Alphys is going anyway. Is she going?”

“I’M NOT SURE, SHOULD I CALL HER? I'LL CALL HER.” Papyrus asks.

“Great, I’ll race you!” she shouts.

“UNDYNE, NO!”

“Undyne, yes!” she replies as she hangs up.

Papyrus quickly tries to call Alphys but he’s only met with a busy tone. He frowns and looks at the phone in disappointment for a few moments.

He gets a call a few moments later. “H- hey…”

“ALPHYS! HELLO! ” he says. I can’t help but imagine her hold the phone away from her ear.

“So… heard you want to s- see the show. I got some t- tickets and backstage passes, you know… if you want them.”

“YOU MEAN YOU AREN’T GOING?” Papyrus asks. “BUT YOU AND METTATON ARE FRIENDS! …I THINK.”

“Y- yeah, but there’s all the shows and… and the crowds and… it’s just not really my style,” she says.

“SUIT YOURSELF.”

“I can give you and S- Sans the tickets though. Y’know… if you want them. …Papyrus?”

Before I know what’s happening, Papyrus has the still snoozing Sans under his arm and is running out the door. I rush towards the door after them but it slams right in front of me. I stare at it for a moment before realizing I can just walk through it. I step through and feel a little glad no one can see me so I don’t have to feel embarrassed.

* * *

After a few days, the night of the show arrived.

Mettaton’s show was flashy, to say the least. Apparently in the time he’d spent on the surface, his love for the stage had only grown. It was entertaining, I guess, but it had been very crowded, and it’s hard to enjoy yourself when you can’t seem to stand anywhere without occupying the same space as someone else. I don’t particularly like being reminded that I don’t actually have a physical presence. I’m happy to follow Papyrus and Sans backstage away from mob of MTT fans.

Backstage, the energy of the performance can still be felt. Mettaton is still on his feet, moving around and talking with members of his crew. “Oh you did great darlings! The music was top notch, Blooky! And Shyren: simply lovely! Ah we make such a great trio!” Mettaton practically sings. I see the brown cat-like monster look down sadly in the corner.

“IT WAS GREAT,” Papyrus agrees.

Mettaton turns at the sound of Papyrus’s voice. “Well! If it isn’t my favorite fan! Thank you so much for showing up!” Mettaton beams as he goes over to Papyrus and Sans. “And your… brother?” he says, looking at Sans inquisitively. “Where is Alphys?”

“said she’d rather meet up with you on her own sometime,” Sans says.

“Oh, what a shame…” Mettaton says. “Oh well, it can’t be helped I guess. I’ll have to call her later. Blooky be a dear and remind me, will you?”

“oh… sure, metta-“ Mettaton’s cousin, Napstablook says. They have their back turned to everyone fixing their equipment.

“You should come say hello,” Mettaton says.

Napstablook hesitates, but drifts over. “…hello… you two… three?” the ghost pauses and stares over to us, more specifically… Me? “uh… who is that…?” they ask.

“Why it’s Papyrus and uh…”

“sans.”

“Yes, Sans.”

“oh… i meant the kid…” Napstablook says. I’m a little shocked and unsure what to do. Does he actually mean me? Is that even possible? Surely not, no one’s been able to see me since I died…

“Just because he’s short doesn’t make him a kid, my dearest cousin,” Mettaton says gesturing to Sans. “He isn’t even wearing stripes!”

“maybe i should, it could help me sneak backstage more.”

“What now?” Mettaton asks in confusion.

“because it’s practically the opposite of being spotted.”

“BROTHER, PLEASE, YOU CAN’T TELL THESE SORT OF JOKES TO A STAR…” Papyrus says in exasperation.

“you… all aren’t tricking me, are you?” Napstablook interrupts, still looking at me.

“No, that would just be cruel,” Mettaton says.

Napstablook seems a little puzzled, but seems to accept that. “oh… my mistake,” they say, drifting over to Mettaton.

“great tunes, napsta,” Sans says, looking at them and probably trying to figure out what they had been talking about.

“thanks…” Napstablook says in a quavering and shy voice.

Mettaton claps his metallic hands together. “Anyway, it really is exciting to be so near the underground again! You simply must tell me how everyone here is, Papyrus.”

As the two of them talk, Napstablook looks back at me. Experimentally, I lift my hand and give a little wave. Napstablook hesitates but sort of makes a motion that could almost be a wave, though it’s hard to tell. Sans watches all the while, looking nearly as puzzled as Napstablook does… nearly as puzzled as I feel. After a few moments, Napstablook drifts off, trying to slip away from the others.

I follow Napstablook quickly. “Hey,” I whisper. They don’t answer. “Hey!” I say again, not bothering to be quiet. No one can hear me anyway. Napstablook flinches away a little. I can’t help but grin. “So you can see me? You can really, really see me?” I ask.

“…well… yeah… i guess…” Napstablook says, as they open a door to what looks like their dressing room. They look at me, apparently quite uncertain about me as they drift to a chair to sit on. “are you some sort of… hallucination… or… something…?” they ask.

“No, no, don’t worry, I’m real and- and- ha, you can see me!”

“yeah i… said that… are you okay…?” they ask.

“Yep, I’m great!” I say.

“but… why can’t anyone see you?” Napstablook asks.

My heart sinks. How are they going to react when I tell them? “I’m uh… y’know… kind of dead.”

“kind of dead…?” Napstablook repeats.

“Yeah… you know, a ghost and stuff. Kind of.”

“oh no… that’s… kind of sad…” Napstablook says quietly. I shrug, trying not too look too worried about it. “so you’re incorporeal…”

“Yeah, exactly,” I say.

“oh…” Napstablook looks me over again. “well… can you play any instruments? our performances have sort of… ghost themes… sometimes.”

I can’t help but find him odd, but at that point I’m happy enough to finally be talking to someone again that I don’t care. “Nah, music’s not my style. And I can’t pick anything up so…”

“you cant…?”

“No… I’m a ghost, remember?”

“oh… well… i guess you must be less substantial than me… sorry…”

I shrug and look around their dressing room. There’s not much in there, I imagine Mettaton’s to be very different. There is, I note, a small fridge in the corner. I go over to it and stick my head through the front. “Do you even eat stuff? I figured it’d go through you,” I say.

“no… ghost sandwiches don’t anyway… do you want one?”

What does a ghost sandwich taste like? A BLT? A hoagie? Seems like as good a time as any to find out. I reach for it and pick it up. “Hey I can hold it,” I say with a grin.

“oh good,” Napstablook says.

I take a bite into it… and meet immediate disappointment. It tastes like over-boiled cabbage, maybe with a hint of uncooked potatoes. “Bleck,” I mutter.

“oh… it might be an acquired taste,” Napstablook says, looking apologetic.

“How can you even stand eating that long enough to acquire it?” I ask. “You know what you really want is chocolate. Do they make ghost chocolate? That would be amazing.”

Napstablook seems to shrug and drifts over to their headphones, putting them on. I watch for a minute, wondering if they’re ignoring me. But… rather, it seems like they’re unsure how to interact with me. Great… I finally get to talk to someone and they’re completely antisocial. I might as well be back with Frisk at this point. “Uh… hey,” I say, going over to them.

“oh… hey,” they reply.

I stand on my tiptoes and lean over them so my chin is resting on the top of their headphones. “You know it’s cool that you can even wear these things. I’ve been wearing the same sweater for years! So annoying!”

“uh… well… I sort of had to learn how to pick physical objects up…”

“Hold on a second, you did?” I ask.

“yes…” They sound cautious.

“So you could teach me?” I ask.

“well… i mean… not necessarily…”

“But you’ll try anyway, isn’t that right?” I say with a wide smile.

Napstablook looks a little confused. “um… yes… no… what…”

“You’re going to teach me how to pick things up and stuff,” I say again.

“….okay…” Napstablook says, phrasing it much more like a question.

I smile wider and look at them expectantly. Napstablook stares at me blankly for a few moments before drifting up and flying right through the ceiling. I stare after them, wondering where the stairs even are so that I can follow, but there don’t seem to be any nearby. Is there even anywhere for Napstablook to go to in the ceiling? Apparently they didn’t care, they just… left. So… that happened. I look up at the ceiling in annoyance and go to the fridge, taking their sandwich- weird potato taste or not. 

* * *

It’s a while before Napstablook shows up again. They stare are me for a minute. “i thought you would have left by now…”

“Why? I literally have nothing better to do. Dead. Remember?” I ask. “So are you teaching me how to actually do stuff or not?”

“i’m not that good at teaching about… stuff…”

“Don’t care. Just going around being quiet has been completely maddening. I need to do stuff. I need to.” Napstablook still looks uncertain. “Look… please? I tried to just… move on from here but I can’t. But living like this has been terrible. All I’ve been able to do is watch other people… I want to play again. I want to… I need to. Please?”

“…Okay” they say.

I grin. Finally… a chance to change things. “Thanks.”

“but… um… can i ask something… too?”

“Oh? Maybe.”

Napstablook looks down shyly. “well… you see… ever since i started touring with mettaton, i realized… i’m not much of a star… at all.” They’re asking me to help them be a star? Who do they think I am? Apparently they sense what I’m thinking, and quickly continue. “it’s just that you’re very… persuasive… and energetic. so… i thought maybe you can help. what do you say?”

“Hm… well once I found out I’m named after a star so I’d say I’m qualified.”

Napstablook smiles a tiny bit. “oh… great. well… i can’t wait to start.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True fact, Chara is in fact a star, look up Beta Canum Venaticorum.
> 
> alright so... its been a little over two weeks since the last chapter, so I feel like I have some explaining to do. Crazy stuff has been happening, but it's hopefully going to be sorted out soon. Its kind of weird the mental toll that crazy happenings can take on your life and a story you're usually pretty passionate about keeping up a strong schedule for ends up moving to the back-burner. Anyway, I'd like to say that this sort of thing won't happen again, but I'm not a psychic, I don't know what's going to be happening. But I'll be doing my best to finish this thing up.


End file.
